Serena Williams Had to Address Sexism in Tennis — Again

Her treatment at the US Open is yet more proof that something needs to change.

On Saturday, September 8, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka competed in the US Open final, where Naomi claimed her first-ever Grand Slam title. Yet when she accepted her win, Naomi was in tears — and they weren’t necessarily only from happiness, as she spent time apologizing to Serena for the way the match was officiated. In a press conference after the match, Serena addressed a chair umpire — and the game as a whole — for how she has been treated both during the match, and throughout her historic career.

During Saturday's game, chair umpire Carlos Ramos accused Serena of cheating, by suggesting she was receiving coaching during the game. Serena denied Ramos’s accusations, saying "I don't cheat to win. I'd rather lose. I'm just letting you know." Still, Ramos issued her a code violation for alleged coaching. Serena later told Ramos he owed her an apology for accusing her of cheating. The athlete then received a point penalty for cracking her racket, which she addressed by telling Ramos: “You stole a point from me. You’re a thief, too.” This resulted in a third code violation for what Ramos called “verbal abuse.” On Sunday, September 9, it was announced that Serena would be fined $17,000 for the three code violations she received, which would be deducted from her US Open winnings of $1.85 million as runner-up.

Serena also spoke about the incident with Women's Tennis Association supervisor Donna Kelso during the game, reiterating that she had not cheated, and positing that she was receiving unfair treatment because she is a woman. "You know how many other men do things — they do much worse than that," Serena said. "This is not fair. There’s a lot of men out here that have said a lot of things and because they are men that does not happen to them."

"I’ve seen other men call other umpires several things," Serena told reporters. "I’m here fighting for women’s rights and for women’s equality and for all kinds of stuff. For me to say 'thief,' and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was a sexist remark. He’s never taken a game from a man because they said 'thief.'" The tennis star finished up her comments by driving her point home: "For me, it blows my mind. But I’m going to continue to fight for women."

Ramos has a history of making such calls against female players; at the 2016 French Open, he also accused Serena’s sister, Venus Williams, of receiving coaching during a game. (At the time, Venus also denied the allegations, saying: “I’m 36 years old. I play fair.”) In contrast, male players have historically been able to get away with far worse behavior on the court, and, as Refinery29 points out, much of their behavior has been “celebrated” by popular culture.

Serena and Naomi showed a tremendous amount of support and love for one another during the trophy ceremony. When the crowd displayed anger over the way Serena had been treated in the match, the athlete urged them, "Let's give everyone the credit where credit's due and let's not boo anymore. We're going to get through this and let's be positive. So congratulations, Naomi. No more booing.”

Naomi also addressed the crowd during the trophy ceremony. “I know that everyone was cheering for her and I'm sorry it had to end like this. I just want to say thank you for watching the match,” she said. “It was always my dream to play Serena in the US Open finals so I'm really glad I was able to do that.”

Many people are supporting Serena’s decision to stand up for herself, including tennis legend Billie Jean King. "When a woman is emotional, she’s 'hysterical' and she’s penalized for it," she wrote. "When a man does the same, he’s 'outspoken' & and there are no repercussions. Thank you, @serenawilliams, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same." Victoria Azarenka, who won the Australian Open two times, agreed. "If it was men’s match, this wouldn’t happen like this," she tweeted. "It just wouldn’t."

Other people pointed out the fact that both Serena and Naomi’s strong performances were overshadowed by the umpire's behavior. "This woman just won, in her FIRST US OPEN, and she is apologizing in tears instead of smiling," educator and activist Zakyia Marie wrote, referring to Naomi. "Serena reacts to unfair treatment after YEARS of it and gets multiple penalties. Two black women had their game ruined today. If you aren't livid, you aren't paying attention."

This isn't the first time that Serena has been treated poorly by the world of tennis, as others have highlighted online. Just last month, it was announced that the French Open was banning Serena's iconic Nike “Black Panther” outfit — an action that was described by many as sexist and racist. Serena, who gave birth to her first child in 2017, lost her seeding at the French Open after taking maternity leave, bringing her ranking from No 1. to No 453. Many of Serena's fellow athletes, including Maria Sharapova, spoke out at the time against the World Tennis Association’s policy. “I would like to see that [rule] change,” she said. “It’s such an incredible effort for a woman to come back from physically, emotionally.”

In the wake of Saturday’s US Open final, Katrina Adams, US Tennis Association Chairman of the Board and President, released a statement regarding the events, saying that Serena “showed a great deal of class and sportsmanship.” Adams went on to say: “[Serena] continues to inspire, because she continues to strive to be the best. She owns virtually every page of the record book, but she’s never been one to rest on her laurels. She’s always working to improve; always eager to embrace new challenges; and to set new standards…. I know that she was frustrated about the way the match played out, but the way she stepped up after the final and gave full credit to Naomi…speaks volumes about who she is.”